As part of my new objective to ‘Say YES‘ to as much as possible, I found myself at iFLY, watching a safety video before attempting my first ever indoor skydive.
I’m not going to lie when I arrived at the venue the familiar feeling of nerves and my good friend ‘doubt‘ came to play. You see, I excel at last minute panic, my mind goes into overdrive and what previously sounded like a good idea freaks me out, but I was in the good company of Mollie and feeling determined.
Due to the sheer volume of noise inside the wind tunnel and the fact the wind is approximately 90-100mph it’s impossible to hear, therefore we had to learn the basic hand signals to ensure that we are flying with optimal safety. Of course, It took me about 5 repetitions to understand the 3 simple directions. We were then kitted up with our jumpsuits, earplugs, goggles, and helmets, all jewelry needs to be removed and you need tight lace-up shoes, as anything that comes off won’t be found again.
We were then led to the viewing point where we watched the previous group complete their flight and it was our time to get started. The instructor will stand at the entrance to the wind tunnel and gradually pull you in, where you’ll find yourself suddenly elevated and feeling a whole load of adrenalin. The instructor kept a firm grip on me for my first flight, I’m not going to deny it, I was way out of my comfort zone and Mollie had made it look completely effortless and free-flowing.
For my second flight, I took a leap of faith and agreed to go higher, which felt not unlike being on Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, you know the scene when they drink the fizzy lifting gas? It was one of the most exhilarating minutes of my life, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth had taken control of me.
When I told people about my Indoor Skydive at i-FLY the same questions came up over and over again:
*Is it cheap? Not particularly, but you are paying for a great experience. I paid £49 for my first ever flight and upgraded to go higher once I had one flight under my belt. However, I will state that once you’ve flown, they do offer a discounted rate for return visitors or gift flights.
*Is it safe? Yes! The instructor will control your movements and if at any time you want to stop, you will be safely helped out of the wind tunnel.
*Is it family friendly? Absolutely, plus there’s a nice viewing area so if one family member didn’t fancy flying they can watch and/or take pictures.
*Could I go solo? Again, during the flight, it’s just you and the instructor and therefore going solo isn’t a problem at all.
You can find answers to all your questions and more information about i-Fly here
Have you ever tried Indoor or outdoor Sky Diving before?
Katie
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